


Cold Hands and Trembling Fingers

by AdorabloodthirstyKitty



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Depression, Humanstuck, M/M, Sadstuck, please do not read this if you can't handle character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdorabloodthirstyKitty/pseuds/AdorabloodthirstyKitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This can't be happening. This can't be happening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Can't Be the End, It's Only the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the series Les Revenants (The Returned)

You wake to the sound of knocking and bright lights flashing in the early morning light. You blink away the sleep from your eyes, turning to ask Gamzee what's happening before seeing an empty place next to you. You feel your stomach drop, your senses alert as you make your way down the stairs toward the door. Two officers step in, and when they remove their hats you feel your lip tremble, your eyes going wide. This can't be happening.

Your name is Tavros Nitram and you have just lost the love of your life.

The officers close the door, one standing back as the other, a middle aged man with soft eyes and an even softer voice, explains what happened. They believe he had gone out to get the paper from the letterbox down the road. It was dark, and the car didn't see him in time. It was quick, painless. He was gone before the ambulance got there. You feel tears streaming down your face, your throat closing up as you cling to that hope, that he died without pain. You feel a warm hand on your shoulder as the officer tries to offer his condolences, tries to take some of the pain away. He speaks up after a while, saying that he's willing to call a family member or close friend to identify him, but you shake your head, straightening up and sniffing hard as you wipe the snot off your face. You'll do it, you want to make sure it's him. The officer tries to get you to reconsider, saying you've been through enough, that you should get some rest. You know you won't be able to sleep after this, and you shake your head, squaring your shoulders as you tell him again. "I need to see him one last time." The officer looks down momentarily and nods, not looking you in the eye anymore. As if he knows what you're feeling. He leads you out the door, the other officer holding the door open for the both of you before closing it behind him. You all head for the car and make your way up the hill toward the highway.

You pull up to the coroner's office, looking over the front of the building as you make your way in. It's still pretty dark, about half of the lights are on as you head down a hallway that seems to last forever. Finally the officer from before stops in front of a door, turning to you to make sure you're sure before opening it and leading you inside.

You aren't allowed into the place they keep the bodies, and instead find yourself in a smaller room with a large window looking into the room. You see the cold metal lockers they keep them in, but aren't paying attention to them, to the lights on the ceiling or the woman in the room you're looking in. Your eyes are focused on a table, a metal gurney with a body covered in a clean white sheet. You can't pull your eyes away from the figure laying on the other side of the glass, the stillness of the sheet. The coroner looks to the officer beside you, who puts a hand to your shoulder and asks if you're ready, if you're sure you want to see this. You don't turn away from the glass, nodding your head as you square your shoulders again. The coroner pulls the sheet down.

He looks calm, peaceful. His face is serene, with only a bruise and scratch on his forehead. You look over the familiar shape of his face, the high cheekbones and long lashes, the dark curly mass of hair. It's him. There's no denying it. You nod, telling the officer it's him and he nods to the coroner, the sheet going back over his head. He apologizes again, putting a hand on your arm. You don't react, still staring at the sheet and the figure underneath. He pats your arm, telling you he'll take you back to your cabin and you follow him silently, riding back down the highway to the cabin you've been living in for the past month or so. They ask if you need anything else and you shake your head, eyes downcast as you step out of the car. They apologize again, the kind officer who spoke to you and stood by your side handing you his card, saying to call or come by whenever you wanted. You nod again and head inside, locking the door behind you before falling to the floor and sobbing like you never have, screaming and crying until you lose your voice and finally succumb to exhaustion.


	2. Cold Rooms and Odd Expressions

It's still dark as you lay in bed, having woken up from an odd dream. You remember it clearly: you had climbed out of bed early, so early it was still dark. You slipped on your sneakers and a jacket, going out for a smoke when you realized you hadn't grabbed the mail earlier. You walked up the gravel road that cut through the forest to the mouth of the trail, the point where gravel met solid highway. You stayed on the side of the road, heading for the mailboxes. You pulled out your key, unlocking the door when you heard something coming.

There was a bright light that flew around the corner in the road, and suddenly the breathe was knocked out of you before your head hit something hard.

And then nothing. You can't remember anything else, and when you open your eyes it's pitch black. You wonder what time it is. Must be pretty late if it's still so dark. You turn but shudder, and you realize that you're freezing. The bed isn't warm like it should be, and when you touch it you bring your hand back quickly. It's not your bed. You're not in your bed.

Whatever you're laying on is cold metal, and as you feel around you realize you're in a small metal box, just big enough to fit you. You feel your toes brush the bottom and feel for some kind of way out. "Help!" you call out, pounding on the metal above your head. You feel it give slightly and your eyes fly open as you pound the metal over your head with all of your strength. After a few hits the metal that turns out to be a door busts open, and you pull yourself out as quickly as you can. You land on your ass in a cold, bright room. The floor is linoleum, and you look back to what you'd been trapped in. It's a large metal locker type thing, like those ones that hold bodies in movies. Wait. Why the hell were you in there? You look around and see a large window on the opposite wall, a metal table with wheels. Where the fuck are you??

You stand and shiver, looking down and finding that you're naked. Your eyes widen at the revelation, looking for something to cover yourself and grabbing a white sheet, wrapping it around your waist like a towel as you head for the door. You look around but see no one, nothing but a blank white hallway and a few doors along the walls. "Hello?" you call out, listening for any noise. You wonder where your clothes are as you head down the hall.

 

You look through a couple rooms for anyone before finding your stuff in a big plastic bag. You grab it and quickly pull your clothes back on, putting the keys and your phone in your pocket, pulling your jacket on as you make your way back into the hall. You swore you heard a noise while you were getting dressed, and head toward the end of the hall, toward the sound. "Hello?" you call out again, and the sound stops suddenly. You stop too, listening for some kind of sound or movement before a scared-sounding voice calls back. "Hello?" it says, and you can tell it's a woman by the voice. You head out into a room with large windows, turning to find a woman with brown hair sitting behind a desk. "Hey sister. Uh, you mind telling me where I am?" you ask, and she just stares at you, eyes wide and face pale as the bedsheet you'd been wearing. "You okay chica?" you ask, but her face doesn't really change. She just stares at you, looking you over as if you're some sort of alien or somethin. You bite your lip nervously before lookin around a little, getting a feel for your surroundings. It's like a hospital, all white and spotless but a lot smaller. You turn back to the woman and realize you're probably not gonna get any info from her. "Well, I gotta get back home now.." you step back toward the glass wall and door behind you, still looking at the woman. Had she brought you here while you were asleep? You take another couple steps back and feel the cool glass on your back. You fumble around a little for the handle of the door, not daring to turn away from the woman as you push it open and head outside into the cool morning air, walking quickly toward the road.

You look around to make sure the woman hadn't followed you before heading down the road, looking around for any familiar landmarks. You realize that you're on the outskirts of town, a few miles from home. How the hell had you gotten there? Why would she put you in that box? Your mind races with questions as you head for home, eager to see Tav's smiling face and get something to warm you up.

It's a few hours later when you finally get to the woods, smiling as you turn onto the gravel road and head down the hill for home. Your grin only grows as you turn the corner and finally see the cottage, jogging toward the steps and up onto the porch. You pull out your keys, unlocking the door and stepping inside, grin wide as you step in. "Tav?" you call, surprised by the silence. There was usually music playing, or the sound of video games but now there was nothing. You wondered if Tav was still asleep and headed inside, closing the door and putting your keys in the little bowl Tav had picked out when you first started looking for furniture for your new home a couple months ago. You pull your jacket off and hang it on an empty hook near the door, and when you turn around you see Tav on the steps, staring at you. You look him over, not liking the look on his face. He seems so surprised, and it looks like he'd been crying. His hair is messier than usual, sticking out in all sorts of ways. There are bags under his eyes, as if he hasn't slept in a couple days. How long had you been stuck in that box? "Tav?" you ask, stepping closer to the foot of the stairs. "You alright, brother?"


	3. If This Is A Dream, Don't Wake Me

You stare at the man in your living room, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. It's Gamz. He's here, he's here and looking at you and saying something but you don't hear it, your mind racing as you try to figure out how this is possible. He was gone, dead, yet here he was. Were you dreaming again? You hoped not. You force your heavy limbs to move, to bring you closer to him. He still has the bruise and cut on his forehead, and he's studying you, saying something but you don't hear it as you finally get to the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him with tears in your eyes. "Gamz," you say quietly, stopping in front of him and studying him. It's him, and you hope it's not a dream as you reach up quickly, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him tight against you. You feel hot tears streak down your face, talking into his shoulder. "You're here, you're here oh god Gamz I thought I'd never see you again oh my god." You're speaking quickly, shaking your head in disbelief but it's _him_ , he's cool from walking in the cold but it's _him._  After muttering how scared you were, how you thought he was gone forever, how much you missed him he pulls you away, holding your arms and looking at you with that sweet, perfect expression that tells you he has no clue what you're talking about. You grin through your tears, choking out a little chuckle because you have never been so happy to see someone in all of your life.

"I think you need some sleep, babe," he says, smiling even though it's obvious he's concerned. You smile, and when he puts his hand on your cheek you kiss it. He gives a little sigh out of his nose, and before you know it he's scooped you up and carrying you back up the stairs into your room. He lays you down, pulling the blankets over you with a smile that makes you grin even wider. "Get some sleep, Tavvy," he says, running his hand through your hair. You study him before speaking up again. "Only if you lay down with me." He grins, chuckling before standing up straight and heading for his side of the bed. You turn around and watch him, his movements easy and familiar as he kicks his shoes off, pulls his shirt off before undoing his pants, pulling them off too. He turns around and climbs in next to you, giving you another grin before leaning in and kissing your forehead. He wraps an arm around you, pulling you close and you smile, searching for his hand and twining your fingers with his before leaning in and kissing him, a long, sweet kiss that neither of you want to pull away from. You pull back eventually, saying you love him and he says the same with a smile. You fall asleep in his arms, happier than you have ever been in your entire life.


	4. Quiet Words of Affection in a Silent House

You wake up to an empty bed.

No arms are slung around you, pulling you close to that one person you adore more than anything. You knew it was another dream. You'd been dreaming about him ever since the accident, but had never dreamt something like that, of him still battered but home, as if he woke up from a coma. They'd always been more like memories, his face happy and without any imperfections, no cut or bruise on his head. Just his bright shining eyes and his sweet, beautiful smile that will always make your stomach flip. You want to go back to sleep, to dream of Gamzee holding you again, but you know your friends have probably started getting worried by now, are probably trying to get in contact with you. You haven't answered the phone in days,  your cellphone off and sitting unused in a drawer. You wonder how many messages you'll have to go through, sighing and begrudgingly climbing out of bed.

And that's when you hear the noises coming from downstairs.

You freeze, listening to shuffling and drawers opening, hoping to God you're not being robbed. It's secluded out here,  one of the things you and Gamz fell in love with. All the space and room to roam around the woods, go on walks or swims in the lake if you chose. But now you're petrified, unable to move as you wait for the footsteps to come up the stairs, for a figure to come in with a gun and ransack your home and possibly kill you.

But that doesn't happen. You don't move and the sounds stay in one area of the house. From the sound of metallic clanks and water below you can tell they're in the kitchen, and you wonder if it's a friend making breakfast for you. You rack your brain for a list of anyone who has keys to the place but draw a blank. Only you and Gamz have keys. So who the hell is in your kitchen? You decide to go downstairs and investigate, tiptoeing silently to the bathroom to grab Gamzee's robe, which you had started wearing pretty often. It still smelled like him and you couldn't bare to be without it for long. You make your way back into your room and toward the stairs, stopping to listen before slowly heading down, step by step. It was an agonisingly long process, going slow so you wouldn't make any noise. Finally you get to the living room and go to the closet under the stairway, grabbing the gun hidden up on the shelf. You make sure it's loaded before padding silently toward the kitchen, the source of the noise. You keep the gun pointed forward, stopping to hide against the wall by the doorway before taking a breathe and walking into the kitchen, stopping close to the doorway in case you need to run. They're rummaging around in the cabinet, down behind the island where you can't see them. You take another breathe before speaking up, calling to them in a determined voice.

"I don't know who you are or how you got in my house but I want you out. I have a gun and I will shoot you if you do not do as I say. Now I want you to stand slowly, hands above your head, and stand where I can see you," you call, your voice authoritative. There's silence, and you watch as a shaggy mane of familiar dark brown hair slowly rises from behind the island, a familiar face looking to you with a confused grin. It's a face that almost makes you gasp, because you thought you'd never see him again except in your dreams.

Your husband stands just ten feet away, hands raised and a crooked grin stretched across his face. He looks to you, then toward the gun, then back. "Mind puttin that down, Tav?" he asks, trying to make light of the situation. You look toward him, studying him and not sure what's going on. You swear you thought you woke up, yet here he is. Gamzee stands just feet away, even though he was dead, locked away in a metal box waiting to be buried. You realize that you're shaking, the gun clattering to the floor when you can no longer hold it steadily. Tears stream down your face as you stare at him, not believing what you're seeing. You're asleep, you just need to wake up.

 _Wake_   _up._

You are willing yourself to open your eyes, to stop torturing yourself with this deception but you won't wake up. You growl and sob, falling to your knees but you still don't open your eyes, don't wake to an empty bed and an aching heart. Gamzee rushes to your side, calling your name and holding you and it just hurts more, the fact that you can feel his warmth and smell his scent as if he was really there. You close your eyes tight, choking on your sobs as warm arms engulf your shaking form, as familiar hands rub soothing circles in your back like they used to when you had a bad dream or felt scared or sad. It makes you cry harder, sobbing uncontrollably until you're all cried out. He shooshes you and murmurs sweet words, poetry you had been dying to hear with the voice that you adored. You slowly calm down and he helps you up, letting you lean on him as he leads you to your chair at the table. You sink down into the seat heavily, eyes on the floor as he says something about finishing breakfast. Warm lips press to your forehead before he pulls back, looking you over before heading back to the stove. You watch him work, whipping eggs and turning sizzling bacon and sausage, looking back toward you often. Soon he's done, grabbing plates and piling them high with bacon, eggs, sausage, and pancakes, setting a fork and a bottle of maple syrup in front of you and putting his plate in front of him. He's still looking at you worriedly, and you finally pull your eyes up to meet his.

He still has the bruise and cut, his hair messier than ususal, as if he had been laying on his back for a long time. He studies you, worry etched in his handsome features, knitting his brows together in a way that makes you want to kiss away the creases in his forehead. You never liked seeing him upset.

"You alright, Tavvy?" he asks, putting a hand on top of yours and giving it a reassuring squeeze. It feels so real that you almost believe that it is, that he's really sitting with you and holding your hand. You don't answer, looking him over before speaking up. "I wish I didn't have to wake up. I'm gonna miss you so much, Zee." A couple of tears make their way up but you swallow, pushing the tightness in your throat back down. You don't take your eyes off his face, wanting to memorize every pore and hair. He looks confused and worried, rubbing your hand with his own. "What do ya mean, Tav? I ain't goin anywhere," he said, trying to calm you down. You wonder if he knows he's dead and is lying to you or if he doesn't know and thinks everything is fine. You sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat. You don't want to tell him the truth, that he'll be buried in a wooden box soon. He leans forward and kisses you and it takes a while for you to realize it before kissing back, trying to put as much love and meaning into it as you can muster. You hold his face in your hands, fingers tangling in his hair and you feel him smile against your lips before pulling back breathlessly, grinning at you with relief and surprise. He looks you over again before mentioning breakfast, saying something about the food getting cold. You fake a smile and begin to eat, thinking it tastes just right as you finish off the plate.

You both end up sitting on the couch, Gamzee flipping through the guide absently while you play with his hair, putting a few strands into small braids as he finally puts something on. You end up laying across his lap while he smiles down at you lovingly, running his long fingers through your hair. You smile up at him, feeling sleep start to pull you into unconsciousness.  The last thing you see before your lids fully close is his smiling face, and the last words you hear are him murmuring a quiet 'I love you.'


	5. Like You've Seen A Ghost

Tavros lays his head in your lap, sleeping like the dead. You watch the rise and fall of his chest, always making sure he's breathing, that he's safe. He looks so serene when he sleeps.

You run your fingers through his hair, wondering what could have made him act so strangely. Maybe he was tired. You remember the look on his face, the dark circles and bags under his eyes when you came home yesterday. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, probably because you'd been gone, locked in that tiny metal box downtown. You have half a mind to tell Tav about it but you don't wanna worry him, either. You'll tell him later, you decide, moving a couple strands of hair from his face before pulling your phone out of your pocket, deciding you'll text Karkat and see how he's doing. Tavros probably called everyone when you went missing, and Karkat would be one of the first he'd call. He was your best friend, you were closer to him than your own damn brother. You sent a text, just a simple 'HeY bRo, HoW's My FaVoRiTe MoThErFuCkEr' before immediately getting his long reply.

'I DON'T KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE OR WHY YOU HAVE MY FRIEND'S PHONE BUT IF THIS IS YOUR IDEA OF A FUCKING JOKE YOU ARE THE LEAST FUNNY PERSON I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED. WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, STEALING SOMEONE'S PHONE AND FUCKING WITH PEOPLE LIKE THIS?? AS SOON AS I FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE I'LL SHOVE MY FOOT SO FAR UP YOUR ASS THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TASTE THE SOLE OF MY SHOE FOR A FUCKING WEEK.'

You pause, eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion as you start tapping out a reply.

'WoAh KaRbRo I dUnNo WhO yOu ThInK yOu'Re TaLkIn At BuT iT's Me MaN, iT's GaMzEe.' You send it, wondering who he'd think would be textin him from your phone. You set the phone down, turning back to the screen as you wait for a reply. Instead the house phone starts ringing, and you lean over to grab it quickly so Tav doesn't wake up. You immediately hear Karkat's voice, sounding absolutely furious.

"Tavros, thank fuck. Somebody got ahold of Gamzee's phone and messaged me acting like him. I don't know who the fuck would do something like that but-"

"Woah woah woah, bro I already told you it was me. Why would you be thinkin somebody snagged my phone?"

There's silence for a good minute, and you're about to ask if he's alright before he speaks up, his voice very quiet, sounding more shocked than angry.

"Who the fuck is this?"

You frown, totally confused as you reply. "It's Gamzee man, who the fuck else would it be?"

Silence again before he hangs up, the dial tone suddenly ringing in your ears. You frown, hanging up the cordless phone and setting it back on the charger before turning to make sure Tav's still asleep and looking back to the tv to watch a movie. A few minutes later the door busts open, Karkat looking around wildly before his eyes fall on you and he stiffens, eyes wide like he'd seen a fuckin ghost. You stay seated, not wanting to have to move Tav from your lap while he's sleeping. "Hey bro, what's up?" you ask, but he's silent, looking you over and you're kinda gettin weirded out by how he's starin. "Bro?" you ask, worried there might be something wrong. Why is he just staring at you like that?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow. been a while, huh? sorry about that. I'd say I was busy with personal stuff, which is somewhat true, but honestly I almost completely forgot about this story. I'll definitely have to write some more for all my older stuff, including this one. so hopefully no more year-long hiatuses


	6. He's Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new pov! thought it would be interesting to get Karkat's point of view, I'm just hoping I didn't make him too ooc

You stop dead in your tracks, staring at your best friend. Are you dreaming? Is this hell? Has exhaustion made you see shit? You have no idea what is going on but Gamzee is sitting on his couch, watching a movie like everything is normal. You just kind of end up standing there in the doorway like a jackass while you try to sort this out in your head before deciding to stop being totally useless and talk to Tavros. You look around and find him laying across the couch, shifting a bit before he starts lifting his head up to see what the hell all that noise was. He blinks blearily at you, seeming a bit confused.

"Karkat? What are you doing here?" he asks, not even seeming to be surprised that his husband is sitting right the fuck there, running fingers through his hair. You are a bit pissed off that he's so fucking casual about this, and soon push the fear in your stomach down enough to go over and grab Tavros by the wrist, hauling him up and pulling him toward the stairs. He tries to protest, to ask what's wrong, but you just glare forward, almost too mad to speak.

"We need to talk," is what you manage to get out, and he shuts up fast, hearing your tone and knowing you're not fucking around. You hear familiar footsteps -  _Gamzee's_ footsteps - and the click of the front door closing as you reach the top of the steps and go to the first room you see, which seems to be his bedroom. You shut the door, dropping his wrist and whirling around to face him, waiting for him to explain himself. He just stands there like a jackass, wringing his hands, obviously nervous. You take a deep breath, trying to calm down enough to speak without yelling immediately. You need to keep your voice low so that whatever the fuck is down there won't hear you.

"What in the almighty fucking hell are you doing? What is going on? Everyone has been worried sick about you! Aradia said she's called at least once a week since the accident and you haven't answered the phone. What in the fuck is happening? Who is that down there?" you whisper-yell, pointing down toward the living room. He shuffles from foot to foot, still wringing his hands.

"It's Gamzee. I don't know how it is but he's.. he's back. He just, walked into the house one day, like it was normal. And I came to see what was up, and he just.." he pauses, shaking his head a bit, looking down as he remembers what happened, seeming unable to explain it.

"He just, came back. He acts like everything's normal, like nothing happened. I don't know how else to explain it. But it's  _him_ , Karkat! I know it is! He does what he always does, he talks the same and acts the same, it's like he was never gone!" he whispers back, looking excited, happy even. He's sure that it's Gamzee, he has no doubt. You can see how confident he is, he's looking you right in the eye without even flinching.

You don't know what to say. How can you deny it when you saw him too? But it can't be real, it's fucking impossible. People don't just pop back into your life like that, they don't just come back.

"Tavros, he's dead. You saw his body.  _I_ saw it. We went to the fucking  _funeral._ Don't you remember?" you almost yell, not sure how to argue when Gamzee's downstairs. Tavros shakes his head, at a loss for words. You get angry again, feeling tears threaten to fall but you push them back.

"He's DEAD, Tavros! He's fucking DEAD! It's impossible, I don't know what is going on but we both saw him! We saw him! You can't just pretend that everything is normal! It's been FOUR FUCKING YEARS!"

You don't even try to keep your voice down, you're too mad, you're mad and upset and confused. You don't know how you saw him, or how Tavros saw him but it can't be real. This is impossible. Tavros glares back, looking like he's about to cry too. "I know! You don't think I realize that it's wrong? I know it is! But I know that it's him! I don't know how or why but it is! Go down there, ask him something only Gamzee will know and he'll know it. It's him, Karkat," he replies, pointing toward the door, still determined and sure that the thing down there is Gamzee. You glare back at him, not saying a word, before turning and throwing open the door, stomping down the stairs and stopping as it stands up, turning to face you. It even has his facial expressions, the big puppy eyes, eyebrow raised slightly, looking totally lost.

"What's up, brother?" he asks, in that same fucking voice, in the same fucking way Gamzee always has. You feel yourself tear up but refuse to cry, standing firm as you stare it down.

"Show me your neck," you demand, the thing still looking confused before turning so it's back is to you, lifting the hair from the back of it's neck. You step forward slowly, cautiously, getting close enough to see the Cancer symbol he got tattooed in the last year of highschool, as if getting your zodiac symbol was normal. You step back as he cranes his neck, turning to try to see you.

"Show me the heart," you demand, and he instantly lets his hair drop, moving the curls from around the back of his right ear. He turns his head a bit and you step forward again, seeing the tiny heart behind his ear, his first tattoo. He had said he just got it for no reason but you knew he got it the night after his first date with Tavros. You step back again, and he turns to face you, still looking confused. You swallow back your tears, looking him in the eye. Everything about him is Gamzee but it's impossible. People don't just come back. You can't handle looking at him anymore, seeing Gamzee after this long, after what happened. You shake your head and head for the door.

"Bro?" you hear him say, sounding lost, confused, concerned. He knows something's making you upset but he doesn't know what. You just shake your head, refusing to look back as you open the door and shut it behind you, pausing to take a couple of breaths, feeling tears run down your face. You curse, mopping at your face before going back to the car. You just want to go home and sleep this off, and figure out what to do.


	7. An Unexpected Guest

It's been a couple of days since Karbro's been over, asking questions and seeming more freaked out then you've ever seen him. He hasn't called or texted you or anything, and you don't text him, giving him his space. It's been a few days since you got back home, and you noticed that you're running a little low on food. Tavros had gone to work out at the vet's office a couple hours ago, so you grab your hoodie, slip on your shoes, and grab the keys to head out to the store.

You drive into town, pulling over on the main road outside the store. You pull your hood up as the drizzle starts coming down harder, hurrying into the store. You grab a basket and start your walk around the store, picking up a bunch of different stuff, your basket stuffed by the time you're done. You think you'll make Tav something nice, smiling as you think about bringing flowers. You go over to pay for the food, grabbing your bags and putting them in the car before locking it up and walking toward the flower shop on the corner. You look over the bouquets with a smile, picking one with all sorts of colors. You pay and grab your flowers, heading back toward the car. But as you walk you feel eyes on you, looking over your shoulder but seeing no one. You shake it off, thinking it's nothing, that you must be mistaken. But as you sit down in the front seat, setting the flowers in the seat next to you, you look up. Aradia is on the sidewalk down the street, staring straight at you. She looks shocked and confused, and you pause, not sure why she's looking at you like that. You give a little wave but she quickly turns away and back into the restaurant she'd been in. You can still feel her staring through the window as you drive back toward home.

 You get back around one in the afternoon, bringing the groceries in and putting the flowers in a vase on the table. You start putting everything away, ignoring the hunger gnawing at your stomach. You don't know what's up with that, you've been starving since the day you got out of the box and back home. It seems like no matter how much you eat you're still hungry, so you just try ignoring it for the most part. After putting everything away you decide you'll treat yourself to a nice big lunch, going through the contacts on the house phone for some takeout. But just before you press call the phone starts ringing, a number you recognize as Aradia's popping up on the screen. You pick up the phone, thinking it a bit odd she'd be calling right now. She knows Tav's got work at this time of day.

"Hey spookysis, Tav's at the vet's right now-"

"I need to speak to you, Gamzee," she cuts in, voice even. You frown, surprised by the reply. Aradia don't really talk to you all that much.

"Alright, what's up?" you ask, settling back into the couch.

"I'm on my way over, I'll talk to you then," she says, and before you can say anything else the line goes dead, dial tone soon filling the silence. You hang up, call the Chinese place you'd been about to call, and order a couple big boxes of food before sitting back and waiting for your guest.

She knocks on the door about fifteen minutes later, right after the takeout guy came with your food. You set your boxes down to answer the door, smiling down at her as you move back to let her in. "Hey sis, welcome back," you greet her, and she gives a small smile.

"I could say the same to you," she replies, and your brow furrows. Aradia can be all kinds a mysterious, but you brush it off and shut the door behind her before following her to the living room.

"I was just about to eat, wanna join me?" you ask, pointing toward the kitchen where the boxes sit. She heads toward the table, sitting down near your spot, not seeming too interested in the food.

"That's alright, I just got back from a late breakfast with Sollux, I'm not too hungry," she replies, and you nod, going to sit at your spot and open up the box. They're actually family sized boxes, supposed to be for a family of four, but you're so hungy you know you could eat at least one of em easily. You pull out a fork and take a bite with a smile before turning back to her.

"So what did you wanna all up and chat about, sis? Not that I don't mind your company or anything, but you usually chill with Tav. Me and you don't usually get our chill on together," you question, taking a big bite of rice as you look up to her from your box of takeout.

"I actually came to see how you were, Gamzee. I hadn't seen you or Tavros in a while so I thought I'd visit," she replies, and if that ain't the sweetest thing she's said to you you don't know what is. You grin, swallowing your food before replying.

"Aww, thanks sis! We're alright, same shit as usual. No complaints except that I'm fuckin starving. Been hungry as fuck since I got back," you reply, and her eyebrow raises a bit in interest while she nods her head.

"I see. Well it seems like you both are doing alright. I'm sorry for just dropping in but I just wanted to see how you guys were," she says, standing and heading back toward the living room. You stand and follow her, a bit surprised by how quick the visit was.

"Nah sis, you come over and get your visit on whenever you want, I'd be happy to chill with you again. But you sure you don't wanna stay? Tav'll be back in a couple hours," you remind her, surprised when she shakes her head with a small smile.

"That's alright, I'll see him soon. And I'd like to see you again, I'm sure it would be fun," she smiles, and that just makes you grin like nothing else. You'd never been best friends with Aradia, but it would be awesome to chill with her. She's been Tav's best friend for years, it would be awesome to be better friends with her.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Thanks for stoppin by chica, I'll see you around," you say, opening the door for her and returning her smile as she steps out, giving you a little wave. You shut the door behind her, still smiling over the nice little visit as you go back to the kitchen to eat.


End file.
